Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Category: Travel
A True Fact
Alaskans like to ask visitors “What’s the difference between a caribou and a reindeer?” The visitors talk about antlers, size, color, all kinds of possible differences until they give up. “Well,” a good Alaskan will say, “They’re the same except caribou are wild and… Continue Reading “A True Fact”
Night Flight
He takes forever to settle down. Maybe 30, he is tall and thin, dark hair, cut very short, he is very well put together as we used to say. He puts his black bag under the seat in front of him then retrieves it… Continue Reading “Night Flight”
The Nugget
A momentous trip ought to have momentous takeaways. There ought to be something life-changing about going to Nome. I’ve decided to have a second piercing in each ear. This came to me after sitting next to a woman from Boston who sported blue studs… Continue Reading “The Nugget”
Nome Friday Round-Up
Not that many places are unforgettable but I think Nome is. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll ever be back. What I’ve collected up this week by way of stones and stories will have to do. I’ve thought about that the whole time, telling myself… Continue Reading “Nome Friday Round-Up”
Bering the Sea
We are staying at what is billed as a classic Alaskan hotel in Nome. It is an old rambling place with carpet laid at the beginning of the last century and vacuumed at least twice since then. There are dusty artifacts nailed to the… Continue Reading “Bering the Sea”
Meeting Mary Shields
I think on this trip I am learning how to be old. Tonight I was talking with someone about Mary Oliver’s instructional book on poetry, how reading it depressed me because I’d wanted to think that poetry was so utterly an art. Every page… Continue Reading “Meeting Mary Shields”
Denali Bus Trip
Denali is a secret and the people here want to keep it that way. At first that irked me. After all, Denali is a national park, it belongs to all of us but then I was reminded that access to a lot of national… Continue Reading “Denali Bus Trip”
Road Trip
If we went across the country, we could put the dogs in the truck and they could look at cars passing by and be themselves in the beautiful wind, leap out for deserts and mountains, and chase what they can’t ever catch.
Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
Recent Comments